It is common practice both in the patent arts and in commerce to package a plurality of cans or the like containers by means of an apertured plastic sheet stretched over the cans and gripping beneath the beads at the top thereof. Typically, six or sometimes eight, cans of beer or soft drink are so packaged and are commonly known as a "siz pack". Although the plastic carriers grip the cans tenaciously it is a simple matter to remove a can by pulling it sideways to stretch the material around the respective aperture, and then to tip the can to remove it from the carrier.
Automatic machinery has been developed for assembling the cans with the plastic carriers. A continuous strip of apertured sheet plastic is fed to an assembling station along with two (or sometimes three) rows of cans for assembly of the cans with the continuous carrier strip. Such assembly machines are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,816,968 and 4,250,682. Subsequent to the assembling of the carrier or strip with the cans it is necessary to sever the carrier at spaced intervals to produce the desired "six pack".
Prior art cutters for severing the strip or carrier have often been located to one side of the strip and substantially in the plane thereof as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,204,386 and 3,991,640. In some instances the cutter has been disposed above the strip and disposed diagonally of the path of travel thereof. Such a cutter is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,640. Prior art cutters have often required very accurate and hence expensive gearing for driving the cutters in synchronism with the movement of the strip and cans.